


Under Pressure

by congressmanmabel



Category: Rick and Morty
Genre: Alcohol, Fluff and Humor, House Party, Peer Pressure, all teenagers are secretly insecure about themselves, gross grandpa to the rescue, morty is a gaming geek and an insanely good dancer, video games - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-16
Updated: 2015-08-16
Packaged: 2018-04-11 18:37:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,368
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4447298
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/congressmanmabel/pseuds/congressmanmabel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Morty has been invited to a house party at Jessica's place. He does his best to relax and have fun in order to better his social life. Everything works out at first, but as soon as other party-goers arrive and bring alcohol and illegal substances with them, Morty's cool demeanor is replaced by anxiety and only one person can help him out......</p>
            </blockquote>





	Under Pressure

It was a beautiful, sunny Saturday afternoon, as scientist Rick Sanchez and his grandson, Morty Smith, were spending quality time together inside the garage. The duo were putting the finishing touches on their latest project; a machine that could complete homework efficiently and effectively. Rick suggested the idea since the old man didn't want he didn't want schoolwork to take up his grandson's free time. Rick believed that homework was an unnecessary evil that pushed aside the opportunity to engage in creative activities, like going on epic inter-dimensional adventures. Despite Morty's protest against the scheme, the two spent the entire day laboring on the computer printer-like machine. 

“Ok, Morty," Rick advised his grandson, who was working with the screwdriver, * _buuurp_ * you just gotta screw it in a  _liiitle_ tighter, and-" As Morty successfully tightened the screw into the machine, the power turned on.

"Quick Morty, i-insert your math homework into the machine!" The scientist instructed. 

"O-o-ok." Morty replied as he placed his math worksheet in the device's opening. Colorful lights flashed from the machine, busily performing its task, and within seconds the homework was printed out. Morty grabbed the piece of paper and the two inspected the homework. Fortunately, the math homework showcased not only the the right answers, but all the steps that were taken to reach those conclusions. The two grinned at each other and jumped for joy. 

“Woah, we-we did it Morty!” Rick stuttered as he gave Morty a celebratory high-five. "Now you never have to do any stupid homework ever again!"

"Alright!" Morty cheered. "Down with homework!"

“Yeah, fuck the system!" Rick added, flipping the finger with both of his hands in victory. As soon as the two settled down after their initial excitement over their success, Rick happily looked at his grandson and asked him a simple question. "Hey Morty, I was _*buuurrp*_ gonna run a few errands a couple galaxies away from here. You wanna come with?”

“Well, a-actually Rick, I already got other plans..." Morty stammered as he nervously wrung his hands and looked down to avert his grandfather's stare. The old scientist's smile quickly vanished from his face. 

“Plans?" Rick questioned, feeling rather insulted. Never in his time with Morty would he think that his grandson, _his valuable companion_ , would have an excuse to not go on some wild and wacky adventure. From Rick's perspective, his anxious grandson had unintentionally shot down his ego, and the prideful old scientist was not going to sit there and take it. "What could possibly be more interesting than traveling through space with me?!?”

“Well," Morty began, "I was invited to this party over at Jessica’s house and I was asked to bring some video games."

“Guess someone's desperate to get laid..." Rick scoffed, crossing his arms and rolling his eyes. 

“This isn’t about hooking up with Jessica, okay Rick!!! This is my one chance to hang out with kids outside of school." Morty exhaled as he looked straight into his grandfather's eyes with genuine sincerity. "Look, I love going on crazy and exciting adventures with you Rick, b-but this may be the only opportunity I've got to have a somewhat decent social life. Plus, I’m the kinda guy who keeps my promises.”

Morty crossed his arms and gave an affirmative huff after giving Rick a piece of mind. But behind the old scientist's uncaring facade, he saw Morty's honesty shine through as the boy explained his situation as best he could

“Alright…” Rick sighed in defeat, rubbing the temples of his forehead. He took a moment to compose himself and turned to his grandson. “Well if you’re gonna go to party the night away, you’re gonna need someone to drive you there and pick you up, and I intend on doing just that.”

“Ok Rick." Morty as he rushed out from the garage door and rushed towards the stairs."Just give me a minute."

Rick got into his ship and started to read a self-help book, _How to Deal with Teenagers and Other Young People_. A few minutes later, Morty returned to the garage with two plastic bags filled with chips and soda as well as a backpack containing video games. As soon as the door to the garage opened, Rick hurriedly stowed his book in the glove compartment, hoping that Morty does not find out about his literary tastes. Rick was able to keep his calm and uninterested charade by the time Morty entered the ship. 

"Ok, I'm ready." Morty breathed as he buckled his seat belt. 

"All right, let's get shit done!" Rick proclaimed as the ship left the garage. 

...............

It was late in the afternoon when the ship landed in front of Jessica's house. As Morty was about to exit the vehicle, Rick stopped the teen by putting his hand on his shoulder.

"Before you go out and * _buuuurp_ * party like it's 1999, I gotta show you somethin' _reeeaaaally_ important." Rick told the boy.

"W-what's that Rick?" Morty asked.

Rick grabbed the boy by the wrist and put on a chrome watch-like gadget.

"It's a communication device, Morty. Just press this blue button here and a screen will pop up and you will be able to talk to person face-to-face, see?" Rick demonstrated to his grandson. The button on Rick's wrist was flashing, and as he pressed it, a screen that filmed Morty in the present time appeared. Rick's face came up on Morty's screen. 

"And if you want to end the call, just press the red button." Rick instructed as he pushed on the device on Morty's wrist. When the old scientist pressed on the red button, the screen was completely erased in thin air. Morty followed suit.

"It's as simple as that." Rick concluded. 

"But couldn't you have given me a cell phone?" Morty inquired. 

Rick exhaled. "No _Morty_ ," Rick spat in ridicule, "cause cell phones are not up to my level." The old man gesticulated his hands in an animated manner to get his point across. "So just give me a call whenever you're ready to be picked up, 'kay?" He instructed in a more candid tone. 

"Sounds good." Morty smiled at his grandfather as he exited the ship. 

"You have a good time Morty, and remember to get **riggity riggity wrecked son!!!!!!!** " Rick yelled cheerfully. 

"Will do Rick." Morty gave a quick salute.

Rick returned a small smile to his grandson before he started up his ship and went off.  _"Well, I hope Summer doesn't have any plans..."_ Rick thought to himself as he took a quick swig of booze from his chrome flask while driving through the suburban streets. 

Morty anxiously approached the door step, carrying his goods. The felt some hesitation, but he managed to press the doorbell, sounding his arrival. As he patiently waited for someone to open the door, the teen had a moment for some self-motivating internal reflections. 

 _"Just relax,"_ Morty mentally prepared himself, _"Don't get nervous....just roll with the punches and have fun......."_ Morty took a deep breath and exhaled. Just then the door opened, revealing a red-headed girl wearing a light blue polo and a purple skirt.

"Hey Morty." The female greeted as she let the boy inside.

"H-h-hi Jessica" Morty smiled. " _Great going genius"_ He mentally berated himself for letting his nervous stutter slip. 

"Do you need help carrying that?" Jessica offered politely. 

"Nah, I'm all set." He insisted. "I just need to know where the grub is at so I can place all the snacks I brought there." He presented the bottles of soda and snacks that were thinly veiled in a plastic grocery store bag.

"Thanks for bringing more food." She said.

"Sure thing." Morty replied.

"Follow me, I'll show you were the party's at." The redhead led the boy to the living room area where twelve other teenagers were split up into different groups, all of which were busily gazing at their cell phones. 

"Guys, we have another guest!" Jessica called out to the other kids. "So you all know Morty Smith."

"Hey everyone." Morty waved at the other party-goers.  

"Hey!" The kids replied in unison.

"Wait a minute, you're in Mr. Goldenfold's class aren't you?" Chloe, a black girl with wavy hair asked. 

"Yeah," Morty replied. "He's a good guy, but a _terrible_ math teacher."

"I know right?" She responded. 

"Ain't that the truth." Amy, the blonde girl added. 

Morty paced over to the table to settle the refreshments he brought. He released the party food from the plastic bag and neatly placed them along with the other munchies. 

"Dude you brought chips _and_ salsa!" A boy with long black hair commented. "Now we got ourselves a party!" 

For a brief second, Morty was caught off guard. His peers would never dare compliment him, let alone associate with him. But this was a golden opportunity for Morty to make casual small-talk with someone from school. Without any further hesitation, the boy continued to talk to one of his fellow classmates.  

"Well that's not the only stuff I brought along with me." Morty stated as he opened up his backpack and took out the video games. "I got _Mario Kart_ , _Super Smash Bros. Brawl_ , _Grand Theft Auto 5_ , _Batman Arkham Asylum_ , _Injustice: Gods Among Us_ , and _Mortal Kombat_! I also brought my Nintendo Wii with extra controllers if you guys wanna switch it up from the Xbox 360 later."

"Man you really know your games bro!" The long-haired boy exclaimed. 

"Yeah, I-I guess I do." Morty agreed, but not in a boastful manner.  

"I'm Elliot by the way," The long haired boy took Morty's hand and shook it with great enthusiasm. "Let's get these games set up and get this party started!" 

"Yeah! Let's get wrecked!" Morty shouted without thinking. 

"I like you already man." Elliot told Morty as they walked towards the 60" plasma screen TV. The two boys placed the games and the Wii console down as they overheard two other kids conversing.

"So how does one eat the booty like groceries?" An Asian boy with a dark blue beanie asked a brown-haired girl wearing thick-rimmed glasses, to which she gave a confused shrug.

"So Morty, I'm sure you know these guys, Toby and Shannon." Elliot introduced. 

"You can call me Tobes." The boy responded, extending a friendly hand to Morty. 

"Nice to meet you man." The girl said as she also offered her hand. Morty crossed his arms and shook hands with his equally geeky comrades. 

"Nice to meet you two as well." Morty smiled. "So, do you guys like video games?"

"They're only the best things in the world." Shannon answered. 

"You have Super Smash Bros.?" Tobes asked.

"Heck yeah I do!" Morty responded enthusiastically. "Let me set up the Wii and we can duke it out!" 

"Alright!" The three kids cheered as they helped Morty plug in the console to the large television set. After assigning the controllers, Morty inserted the game CD into the Wii and joined his new acquaintances on the couch. The gang completed the pre-match set-ups, with Morty playing as Link against Luigi, Pikachu, and Pitt, with their battle taking place at Pokemon Stadium. Once the first match started, all four kids were completely in the zone. Their eyes were glued to the TV while their thumbs were simultaneously pressing the buttons in rapid-fire speed. As the intense battle waged, the other kids set their smart phones aside and watched the fight with interest. All four contenders were giving it their all, but Morty managed to outplay his acquaintances. At the battle's conclusion, Morty appeared victorious, raising his controller in the air as the other kids cheered.

"I never knew you had gaming skills Morty." Jessica complimented. The teenage boy's cheeks flushed upon hearing the redhead's praise. He took a couple seconds to internally compose himself before speaking to her again. 

"Yeah, well...y'know what they say," Morty said as he nervously scratched the back of his neck. "Do what you love and love what you do."

"I never knew how cool video games could be." Chloe mused. "I always thought they were a nerd activity."

"It's actually a lot of fun." Morty explained to her. "There are a lot of cool games out there, with various genres, and some games having cool story arcs and themes. But _Smash Bros._ is a fun little beat-em-up that's easy to catch on. Would you like to try it out?"

"Sure!" She answered. Chloe soon received the Wii controller from Morty and she and three other kids started a new round. 

During the next hour and a half, Morty was having fun with the other kids, playing _Smash Bros._ and  _Mario Kart_. While Morty watched a high-speed race on Moo-Moo Meadows, Jessica tapped on his shoulder. When he turned to her, she motioned for him to go to the next room so that the two can have a moment of privacy. Morty was both excited and nervous at the thought of even having a moment alone with her. Though he was being taken out of his comfort zone, this was the perfect opportunity to have a sincere conversation with her. While he followed her to the other room, three of the girls were surfing through the iPod playlist for decent background music. When the two made their way to the kitchen, Morty took a deep breath before talking to her. 

"So, uh, Jessica, are you feeling alright?" He asked in a concern tone. 

"I'm feeling pretty good now Morty." Jessica reassured him. "But I really wanted to personally thank you for bringing the video games over."

"Hey, it's no problem, really." He replied. 

"It's just that, I love playing video games in my spare time. It's a pretty relaxing hobby for me, you know?"

"Yeah, I totally understand what you mean." Morty agreed. "It's probably one of the coolest forms of escapism."

"It's just that my girl friends aren't exactly into gaming. They, along with Brad and the basketball team, usually make fun of gamers and gaming culture. They think it's just kid stuff, and that people who enjoy video games either have no life or are violent sociopaths." 

Morty listened to Jessica's explanation. He realized that she her love for video games was a secret passion that she doesn't want her other peers to figure out. Morty took a moment to properly organize his thoughts on the situation before he responded to her. 

"People usually like to take punches at video game culture." Morty began, "I mean, it's gotten a pretty bad rep over the years, but a lot of people have to understand that not all gamers are killers or losers. In fact, there are lots of gamers who are good people, a-and they play games for fun or see them as a type of unappreciated art form, or something. There's also a large number of gamers who are female, and they're pretty cool!"

Jessica listened intently on what Morty had to say.

"And Jessica, y-you shouldn't care about what other people think about you in terms of what your hobbies are. A-and if they single you out because you just so happen to play video games, then it's their loss. Rise above, embrace the gamer that's inside you."

"Wow, I never looked at it from that perspective before..." She said, having a moment of self-reflection. "Thanks for the advice."

"Anytime." Morty responded. "And just remember, there are worse hobbies you could have."

"Oh yeah." She said, raising her eyebrow as she thought of the creepy activities and interests that are out of the norm.

Suddenly, the two heard the next song that boomed through the living room speakers, which was "Get Low" by Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz.

"Hell yeah, this song is my flippin' jam!" Morty exclaimed as he jumped with excitement and bolted straight to the other room.

"Morty, wait up!" She called out as she followed him.

As soon as Morty entered the living room, he proceeded to dance like a maniac. He busted out such moves as the Charlie Brown and the Whip and Nae-Nae as well as the Cabbage Patch. His stepped to the beat to the music, dancing as smooth as water as he allowed his body to take control. The other kids were amazed by his spontaneity and cheered him on as he shook what his mama gave him. When the song ended, the kids bursted in applause, and Morty gave them a dramatic bow. When the next song played, the other kids soon started to dance.

"That was really cool!" Jessica told him.

"Yeah, well I do my thing when the mood calls for it." Morty shrugged, moving along to the music. 

"Dude, what are you on and where can I get some?" Elliot asked.

"The funny thing is that I am completely sober." Morty admitted. 

"Nice." Shannon commented.

"I respect that." Tobes added.

"It's amazing how insane you can get without getting tipsy man, that takes mad skill bruh." Elliot said. 

"I need like at least two shots of Tequila in order to get on your dance level." Amy said. 

"Speaking of booze, when's the basketball team coming over?" Chloe asked Jessica. 

"I got a text from Brad saying that they just got back from their away game, so they should be here any minute." The red-headed teen answered. 

 _"Alcohol?"_ Morty thought. He didn't know that other party goers would bring beer. But his nervousness hit sky high when he hear the door bell ring. 

"It must be them." Jessica spoke as she got up from the couch to answer the door.

"Guess who brought the booze!" Brad announced as he and the other basketball players arrived with the goods. Some of the players brought in 24 packs of beer while others carried brown paper bags that contained bottles of vodka, whiskey, and rum. 

"So how did the game go?" She asked.

"Oh, we lost big time." Brad replied. "But the boys and I brought plenty of booze to drown our sorrows in!" 

"And as a bonus," A blonde basketball player piped in, digging through the pocket of his varsity jacket. "I brought some Coke and LSD!!!" The players then shouted with joy as they made their way into the living room.

" _DRUGS!?!?!?!"_ Once Morty saw the basketball players bring in the alcohol and illegal substances, his anxiety took full control of him. He knew that the kids he made friends with would ask him to join them in their drunken, drug-induced escapades. Of course he didn't feel comfortable with it and would refuse. But he was truly afraid that his peers would pressure him and inevitably make fun of him for not conforming. 

“You feeling okay Morty?” Tobes asked Morty, who returned to reality after being lost in his own train of thought.

“Yeah man, you don’t look too great.” Shannon added. 

“Huh? N-no I-I-I’m totally fine, like totes mcgoats.” Morty lied, feigning a smile at the two gamers. “ I just gotta get some fresh air in my system. So I’ll be right back.”

“‘kay dude." Tobes replied. As soon as Morty left, he turned his attention towards Shannon. "Man, Morty says, like, the coolest things. You writing any of this down?"

“Yeah man," The girl nodded as she fervently scribbled into her notebook. 

As he stepped outside, he ran straight behind the bushes to avoid his peers. Once he settled himself, he pressed the blue button on his wrist communicator. A screen appeared before his eyes, but Rick didn't pick up his call yet.

"Come on, come on, come _oooooon_..." He muttered to the bracelet, hoping that it would work. As soon as Rick's face appeared on the holographic screen, Morty gave a sigh of relief. The old scientist and Summer were in a vacant parking lot, packing cardboard boxes into the ship's trunk and stowing weapons inside the ship itself. 

"Oh, hey uh, Morty! Your grandpa was definitely _not_ partaking in sketchy business transactions." Rick fibbed as he quickly hid the illegal weapons behind his back. Summer shot a sour glance at the old scientist.

"So what's up?" The old man asked casually. 

"Rick! The kids ar-are starting to drink beer, a-and use illegal drugs and I-I-I really wanna go home now!"

"M-Morty, just relax. Okay?" Rick comforted him in his own way. "I'm just about done with my errands, so Summer and I will pick you up momentarily, so just hang tight dawg."

"O-o-okay." Morty stammered. "Thanks Rick."

"Save your thanks for later, Morty." Rick replied, still trying to keep up his cool demeanor. "Just be outside when arrive alright?" Morty nodded in response.

"Rick _ooooouuut_." And with that, the screen turned black, ending the transmission. Morty pushed the red button to erase the screen and gave a sigh of relief. He thought up of a way to get out of his sticky situation without any repercussions. With fierce determination, he got up from behind the bush and returned to the house. As he entered inside, he found most of the party goers were guzzling down beer from red solo cups while a small group of kids were off to the side snorting coke. The loud music coming from the speakers began to hurt Morty's ears. Fortunately, he was able to find Jessica, who was with her group of girl friends.

"Morty, you're back!" She spoke brightly to him as he approached her. "Want me to grab you some beer?"

"Well, actually, I-I-I gotta get goin'." Morty stated. "You see, I just got a call from my grandpa, who just informed me that m-my cousin got into a really bad car accident and is at the hospital. So I have to be by my family's side for emotional support."

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry Morty." She gasped, covering her mouth with her hand in shock. Her friends were also surprised to hear such bad news and tried to comfort him.

"That's terrible" Amy added. 

"Are you feeling okay?" Chloe asked in concern

"Ye-yeah. I'm just shocked is all." Morty lied with a sorrowful look on his face. 

"Is there anything we could do for you?" Jessica offered the boy. 

"I just need my games and Nintendo Wii back by tomorrow. You can drop them off by my doorstep if you like." Morty answered. "But seeing how they're a big hit with everyone, you can keep them here for the night. Just make sure that they won't get damaged."

"I promise I won't let anything happen to them." She vowed. "And I'll be able to drop them off at your place tomorrow afternoon."

"Sounds good." Morty replied.

"And thanks for coming over Morty," Jessica spoke sincerely. "We enjoyed having you over, and we really hope that your cousin is okay."

"Yeah, you really lightened up the party." Chloe added. 

"You're welcome." Morty nodded "But I-I gotta get goin', so I'll see you all later." 

"Bye Morty." Jessica said. 

"I hope your cousin is alright." Amy added. 

Once Morty stepped outside the house, he saw the ship with his grandpa and sister inside, patiently waiting for him. Morty sprinted to the vehicle and entered inside, sitting in the shotgun seat beside Rick. 

“Hey Morty,” Summer greeted. Morty turned his head toward his sister and politely nodded at her. 

"So M _*augh*_ rty,” Rick belched, “did you have a good time before you chose to pussy out of there-"

" **J-just stop it Rick!!! I-I don't want any of your crap right now!!!** " Morty yelled at his grandfather, who, in turn, was surprised that his grandson snapped at him. The poor teen did not want to deal with his grandfather's cynicism and brutal attitude. However, Morty automatically felt guilty for taking his anger out on Rick. The teen took a deep breath before he began to explain himself.

"I was having a really good time earlier. It was just me and a small group of kids playing video games, and chatting and dancing, a-and they really liked me and thought I was cool.....but as soon as more party-goers came and brought drugs and alcohol with them, I got really scared....."

Rick's face grew concerned as he heard his grandson's story.

"I was afraid that the kids would make fun of me for not drinking and th-that they would force me to do things I wasn't comfortable with," Morty continued, "I had to get out of there. So I thought up of a lie and left...."

The teen hung his head in defeat as tears started to spill from his eyes. He figured that Rick would still rag on him for ditching the party early and Morty was prepared to face the music. However, it was a mere few seconds later when the teen felt a hand gently lift his chin up.

"Hey Morty," Rick addressed in a serious tone. "You did something back there that even I wouldn’t do. You did the right thing."

"Huh?" Morty looked at his grandfather in awe, wiping the tears away from his face with his arm. 

"Yeah, a lot of people your age don't have the guts or smarts to back down like you did." Summer added.

"But you stuck to your guns and took the high road before things got messy." Rick said, giving his grandson a prideful, yet soft smile. "I'm really proud of you Morty."

Morty smiled gratefully at his grandfather for understanding. "Thanks Rick."

"Sure thing." The old man lovingly ruffled the boy's brown hair.

"Well, the night is still young, I got a truckload of Flurbos, so how about the three of us party it up at **BLIPZ AND CHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITZ!!!!!** "

" **YEAH!!!** " Morty and Summer cheered.

Rick steered the ship towards the sky, surpassing Earth's atmosphere and entering the Milky Way. They zoomed through space to locate the nearest Blipz and Chitz establishment. After bailing the party, Morty was thankful that his family understood what he went up against and accepted his decision without hesitation. It also didn't hurt to spend some quality time with them at an intergalactic chain arcade-restaurant. So the three spent the rest of that evening eating some far-out munchies and playing top-notch video games to their hearts content. 


End file.
